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INSIDE

COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

HERE BY CHOICE
FAE COLLINS MOONEY

Slow down, you
move too fast

DON’T KNOW about you, but I

never seem to have the time to

browse. I dash downtown with

shopping list in hand, dash from
store to store quickly making my purchases,
and dash home again, seldom stopping for
even a quick glance at something new or dif-
ferent.

Well recently I decided to take the time to be
a home town tourist. Instead of shopping for
necessities, I went browsing for the fun of it.

I know — another vacation already? So soon
after summer vacation? Cali it research. Any
excuse will do.

And so, I went browsing. Just for an hour or
so each afternoon.

Blue sky, majestic mountains, nice setting for
a vacation. The weather was sunny and mild
on day one of my research, always an impor-
tant factor during any vacation.

race tourist), it was easy to see the sort of
things you write on postcards to send back
home.

And that’s one of the things I did on day one.
Dipping in and out of shops I bought some
postcards, but not to send off in the mail.

In my scrapbooks I have postcards tucked

but few or none from the places I’ve lived.

So inlo my scrapbook went postcards of —
what:else, a Kermodei bear, snow-capped and
glacial mountains, a rainbow arching over a
swollen river. And a souvenir or two as well,
What Terracite has a Terrace mug, what Ter-
-Tarist doesn’t?

I visited the Terrace Art Gallery, too, which I
never secm to have time for.

When I visit the public library, it’s a quick
dash in, a quick dash out, and nary a glance
downstairs at the latest exhibit, But vacation
research provided the time. I was impressed.

Alter a pause in a litile restaurant I had never
tried before I was treated to a personalized tour
of “the local brewery,’’

_ Notexactly a big-name national brewery, and
not likely to show up on my “‘to do”? list either
— it was a vacation bonus, And it was fun.

A lot of little pleasures added up to equal a
refreshing afternoon.

Day two dawned wet. [ donned rain gear, A
good day, maybe, for mall walking. I bobbed
in and out of shops, took the time to look,
stopped to chat with friends I bumped into and
-hadn’t seen in ages... I bought a box of fudge.

The rain let up a bit so I ventured down main
street, Each little shop I explored like a gallery:
admire but don’t touch, browse but don’t buy.
I broke down at one shop. Alter that it was
easicr. Bills began tospass from my purse like
they belonged to a true tourist. Dangerous. It
was time for a break -

A decadent dessert at a restaurant renowned
aroyad town for its decadent deserts (one of
the advantages of being a local Terracite is that
I already know where all the good places are,
if only I had time for such indulgences; ah, but
which I do have time while I’m a Terrarist).

With an attitude of live today, diet tomorrow,
I ended the second day of my vacation with no
regrets,

The next day I decided to walk off the pre-
vious day’s indulgences and browsed through
a few out-of-the-way shops.

Day four I explored a different part of town
again sampling shops I usually don’t have time
for, only look for what’s on shopping list, buy
it and scram. But I was on vacation. So I
paused and indulged and enjoyed.

The last day of my vacation was sort of a
walkabout, my last chance to leisurely enjoy
my town before it’s back to work, business as
usual.

The fudge I bought at the beginning of my
vacation is gone, but in my kitchen cupboard is
a mug with.a Kermodci bear on it. And filling
a few pages of my scrapbook are postcards,
pamphlets, and brochures I gathered during my
home town vacation.

You know, one of the best things about vaca-
tioning in- Terrace Is I can do it anytime, and
often as I choose:

I’m already here,

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 26, 1994 - B1

SECTION B
JEFF NAGEL
638-7283

’ Looking through the eyes of a Terrarist cre
BN a ean ee (T . (above).

mg Remembrance

THE ROYAL Canadian Legion held a
dedication ceremony Sunday, Oct. 16 to
unveil a headstone at the municipal
cemetery commemorating Terrace’s war
dead. As the bugler played the Last
Post, the colour party lowered their flags
Then, as the crowd. stood,
heads bowed, Terrace Pipes and Drums
pipe. major Audrey. Kerr struck up. a. la-

“ment on the bagpipes. The headstone:

marks that part of the cemetery where
the vets were laid to rest.

‘away from almost every place I’ve ever visited -

FIGHTING OFF FEAR

Program helps victims regain dignity, confidence

RANDY Alexander
still nervously re-
members the day a
year ago when she
walked in on two burglars in her
home. ;

The thicves fled, but the inci-
dent left the 12-year-old girl emo-
tionally scarred.

She was really shaken up and
really scared — scared to. stay at
home aloae,’’ says Brandy’s
mother, Sandy. ‘‘She’d hear
people coming up the stairs.’’

‘It changed her from a brave
little girl into one who was afraid
of her own shadow.”’

Until then, Sandy had never
heard of the Terrace Victims As-
sistance Program.

The police sent a volunteer
from the program over to the
Alexanders’ house to talk. to
Brandy.

“They came over right away, *
recalls Sandy. “They had three or
four sessions with her.to help her
get over it.’’

The support she got from ihe
volunteers completely turned ber
around, says Sandy.

“They helped her out a heck of
alot.”

But it didn’t end there.

Program volunteers helped
Brandy get ready to testify in
court against the burglars.

They explained the court pro-
cess and talked her through what
her part would be on the witness
sland,

The thieves ended up pleading: z
guilty, so she didn’t; have to
testify. But. she would have been :

ready if called upon.-

Now 13 and much more confi-

dent, Brandy owes a lot to the

Terrace Victims Assistance Pro-—

gram, says Sandy.

“They were just tremendous,”
she says. “‘I’d do anything. T can
to help out the program.’

Brandy’s is just one of the cases
the program bas worked on in. Abe -

Jast year.

Volunteers with the program
deal with nearly 500 victims gach
year,

VICTIMS
ASSISTANCE

@ MORE THAN 250 files

and nearly 500 victims as- ~

sisted each year.

m ASSISTANCE and Info
provided on police and
court procedures and case
progress.

m EMOTIONAL support
provided.

m PRACTICAL help In get-
ting Information and refer-

. rals to other agencles.

m@ ACCOMPANYING and
supporting victims at hosp-
tlal, police detachment,
court, and home.

m HOME security info.

- BF CRISIS Intervention in
severe emotional trauma
cases,

The Terrace Victims Assistance ee
Program helps-.a wide. range: of.”

being a victim of crime.

Break-in victims, sexual assault
victims, bereaved relatives of car
accident victims are all among
the clicnts they handle.

“We. deal with everything the
police deal with,” says program
coordinator Jan Le Francois.

They do their best to deal -with
the stress they’re exposed to in,
the work.

But Le Francois says it’s also
tremendously . rewarding _ when

. they manage to help someone.

"When yousee that’ you've
helped somebody ' ‘to regaln some
of their own personal power —

that to me. is probably the most

rewarding thing,’’ she says,
The program operates out of an

‘office at’ the Terrace RCMP

detatchment-. a

Cases. are frequenlly referzed to
them by police officers there,

It's a low-profile operation, but
one. that provides a big service to
the area,

They don’t. ‘have a lot of
volunteers and can n always use
more.

“Anyone who wants to find out
more about. the progtam or un-

dergo training.as a‘ volunteer. can
“contact. Jan Le Fraticois at 638-

People overcome, the ‘terror of 0333.

OLGA POWER was named top victim assistance volunteer in
B.C, for 1994 at a conference Oct. 15.

Olga named top volunteer

VICTIMS ASSISTANCE
volunteer Olga Power has been

- named B.C’s outstanding victim

services volunteer for 1994 for
her work with the Terrace Vic-
tims Assistance Program.

The award is presented each
year by the B.C, Association of

. Police Affiliated Victim Witness

Services.

plaque was given to Power at the
associatlon’s annual confercnce
in Varicouver Oct, 15,

About 450 delegates from 65
volunteer centres across the pro-
vince were. there,

TVAP organizer Jon Le Fran. |

_ cols has*also been named to the

assoclation’s. provincial. board’ of

. The. announcement ¢ came. and a |, directors. a